- For the third-straight day, Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew didn’t practice while dealing with a knee injury. It’s not a good sign for Jacksonville, since no player who has missed a Friday practice with the team this year has ended up playing on a Sunday. At the same time, Jones-Drew has never missed a game due to injury. But yeah, it doesn’t look good at this point. He’s listed as doubtful on the injury report, and it'll be surprising if he suits up to play.

And those who are NOT active:Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs: This is not surprising, considering he had a mid-week appendectomy. Though the team originally gave the impression Cassel could play this week, there was never a chance he would be healthy enough. Brodie Croyle will get the start in his place.

The Bengals were clicking against the Bills. RB Cedric Benson had racked up big yardage in the first half. QB Carson Palmer looked sharper than he has in recent games. Terrell Owens was making catches against his old team. The defense was scoring points for the offense.

And Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick took advantage of a secondary that suddenly had to give significant playing time to Rico Murray and Reggie Nelson, completing 21 of 34 passes for 316 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. The big recipient of Fitzgerald’s explosion was WR Steve Johnson, who caught eight passes for 137 yards and three scores.

All of it equaled a Bills team that turned a 28-7 deficit into a 49-31 victory. It’s the second-straight win for a Buffalo team that had been on the verge of turning the corner for several weeks. The Bills finally got their first win last week against the Lions, and today, in the second half, they dominated what has become a horrendous Bengals team in Cincinnati.

Owens pretty much said it all when he told reporters this after the game: "Let me look you in the eyes and emphasize: we are terrible."

And maybe Chan Gailey’s squad isn’t quite as terrible as most of us thought.

Dexter McCluster, WR, Chiefs: He has a high ankle sprain, and it looks like he’ll be out the next couple of weeks. Not only do the Chiefs lose a receiving and running threat, but they lose a dynamic kickoff and punt returner. CB Javier Arenas is expected to take over McCluster's duties.

Chinedum Ndukwe, S, Bengals: CB Johnathan Joseph and SS Roy Williams also are out, and when you pair that news with the fact Ndukwe won’t play, that’s a bad, bad sign for the Cincinnati secondary. Tom Nelson – with limited experience and limited talent – should get plenty of playing time in Ndukwe’s place, though Reggie Nelson will start.Jeremy Mincey, DE, Jaguars: Earlier in the week, he was named starter ahead of first-round bust Derrick Harvey. But then he broke his hand. So, he’s out and Harvey is back in the starting lineup.

Considering both of these teams have a bye next week, is it even worth it for the Broncos to play Dawkins and Goodman this week against a 49ers passing attack that is without starting QB Alex Smith (shoulder) and relying on a somewhat hobbled Vernon Davis (questionable; ankle)?

Because the Broncos love to sling the ball, it’s worth noting that Niners CB Tarell Brown (back) is doubtful and CB Nate Clements (ankle) is probable.

The Cowboys are likely without Tony Romo for the season, given that the team will almost certainly be eliminated from playoff contention once his shoulder heals. The Jags are getting THEIR quarterback, David Garrard, back after a 1 ½-game absence (concussion). How’s this for freaky: every quarterback that has replaced Garrard at some point this season has gotten injured. Luke McCown blew out his knee working relief duty in Week 1. Trent Edwards dinged his right thumb after Garrard suffered his concussion against the Titans. And now, last week’s starter, Todd Bouman, is questionable with a right finger injury.

Jacksonville’s interior defensive line should step up in this game. The Cowboys are still without left guard Kyle Kosier (ankle) and his backup Montrae Holland (groin). Phil Costa will start for them. Cornerback Terence Newman is expected to play despite sore ribs. Knowing Newman, though, he’ll come out of the game with a false injury scare at least twice.

Not a single player of consequence is listed on Miami’s injury report. For the Bengals, it’s the other way around. Essentially Cincy’s entire secondary is listed as questionable, with the exception of S Roy Williams, who is doubtful (knee), and CB Leon Hall, who is probable (hamstring). Hall missed Wednesday and Thursday’s workout. His counterpart, Johnathan Joseph (ankle), missed Wednesday and most of Thursday. Backup CB Morgan Trent also sat both days. And, oh yeah, nickelback Adam Jones was just placed on IR (neck). Considering the Bengals have next to no pass rush, the injuries in the defensive backfield are an extra major concern.

Jones was quietly having a solid season in his first season in Cincinnati, but last week, he broke out a bit when, playing in the place of Johnathan Joseph, he scored a defensive touchdown off a fumble recovery in the Bengals loss to the Falcons. He also recorded an interception this year.

But La Canfora reports Jones has a disc injury in his neck, and his season is over now.

David Garrard, QB, Jaguars: This will be the first time since the season finale in 2007 that Garrard won't start at QB for Jacksonville. He suffered a concussion last week against the Titans, and he's not going to play this week.Chris Chambers, WR, Chiefs: He's been dealing with a finger injury, but coach Todd Haley has said that wasn't the reason he was inactive last week (and probably the same reason he's been deactivated today). Mainly, he hasn't been very good. Chambers, by the way, wasn't on the injury report this week.

Vince Young (active), QB, Titans: He was a gameday decision after sustaining a high ankle sprain last week. He tried to work out this morning, but apparently, it didn't go well enough for him to get the start. Kerry Collins will be the signal caller today.

Johnathan Joseph, CB, Bengals: This is a big loss for the Bengals. Joseph, who's been dealing with a bad forearm, is one of the best young corners in the NFL. This news should make Falcons WR Roddy White a happy boy. Malcom Floyd, WR, Chargers: It's unfortunate for Floyd that he's dealing with a hamstring issue. The Patriots, the team San Diego is playing today, is succeptible in its pass defense. This could have been a big day for him.

Tom Zbikowski, FS, Ravens: It's a good thing Ed Reed will make his season debut today. Aaron Maybin, LB, Bills: He's been a disaster this year, playing 13 or fewer snaps in four of Buffalo's five games this year. As coach Chan Gailey says, Maybin is simply struggling to make plays. Which is not good for a 2009 first-round draft pick.

It will be strength on strength when the Bengals corners line up against the Patriots wideouts (Sunday, 1:00, CBS).

First, understand something: New England’s receiving corps features the same two stars as 2007 (Wes Welker and Randy Moss), but it does not feature the same explosiveness. At 33, Moss has dissolved into strictly a straight-line receiver. This isn’t the end of the world – we’re talking about arguably the greatest deep threat of all time. Moss doesn’t quite have the wheels he had in Minnesota, but his speed still ranks in the NFL’s upper 20 percentile. More importantly, he’s a master at tracking a deep ball and disguising his intentions when exerting for a catch. That’s why he was still able to post 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.

The problem is, Moss is no longer a premium threat when changing directions. He has stiff hips and limited agility. Thus, instead of running any route on the tree, he now only shines running the 9 Route (fly pattern). Moss has never been a good route runner, but he at least used to be dangerous enough to command safety help simply by being on the field. Now, if the Patriots want Moss to command safety help, they have to design plays specifically for him to do so. This ultimately limits the rest of their offense (just a bit).

The Bengals will likely play a safety over the top against Moss, though in cornerback Johnathan Joseph, they have perhaps the best deep-ball man-defender in the AFC not named Revis. Joseph has excellent catch-up speed and a keen sense for timing his attack on a hanging ball. (By the way, in case you’re wondering, Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie is the best deep-ball man-defender in the NFC.)

More concerning to the Bengals should be Wes Welker. (We’ll assume Welker, in his first meaningful game back from ACL surgery, will be his usual self. A big assumption? Perhaps. But the man looked sharp throughout training camp and the preseason.) Welker, obviously, thrives as an underneath receiver. Leon Hall is a Pro Bowl caliber corner, but he’s not a press corner (neither is Joseph). That’s virtually a moot point, though, because the Patriots almost always line Welker up in the slot or flanker position (two yards off the line of scrimmage). Still, Hall must be physical with Welker early in his route. Hall is usually tremendous in this capacity, but he’s also a tad inconsistent.

The key to Cincy’s defense will be whether Hall can control Welker in the five-to eight-yard range. Fortunately, Hall is an adequate tackler. But for preventing Welker from even catching the ball to begin with, the Bengals may want to have weakside linebacker Keith Rivers patrolling the underneath flats (stopping Welker in motion over the middle is nearly impossible). By committing Rivers to the flats, Cincy would be gambling with Chris Crocker against athletic tight end Rob Gronkowski in coverage – but at least that matchups pits an intelligent eighth-year veteran against a first-game rookie. Plus, if Rivers is in zone coverage in the flats, he can combat Kevin Faulk’s receiving prowess out of the backfield.

If we’re to follow this train of thought, then it all comes back to whether Joseph can handle Moss. If Joseph can’t, then Crocker will be needed in deep coverage, which means the Bengals would likely end up counting on Roy Williams to cover in the box. Just the idea of Williams in any sort of coverage gives defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer nightmares.

What to expect: a modest day for Moss (say in the neighborhood of five catches, 65 yards), a solid day for Welker (eight or nine catches, 100 yards) but the contest ultimately decided by whether the Patriots can find a third weapon in the passing game.